The author of a law requiring electronic monitoring of dangerous sex offenders says he'll work to restore what he calls Governor Jim Doyle's effort to gut the program.
Abbottsford Republican, Representative Scott Suder, responds to Doyle's decision that sexually violent offenders and child molesters will wear GPS bracelets only while under state supervision. "He's trying to gut the GPS bill," Suder says. "He doesn't want to track mentally ill child sex offenders."
The bill, as written and signed into law, allows the state to monitor dangerous sex offenders for life. "The governor, as a former attorney general, signed the bill," notes Suder. "If he had qualms, none of those were brought to us. Suder says Doyle not only signed the bill, he talked up the new law during his campaign for reelection. Suder says Doyle ought to reverse course. Doyle's budget includes $11 million, and 122 new state positions for the program; that's considerably less than what the Department of Corrections said would be needed to fully implement it.